Dinghu Lake is known as one of the granaries of the world, but the main grain-producing areas are still concentrated in the east irrigated by river water. The southwest is mountainous, the land is barren, and in the current situation where the vitality of heaven and earth is scarce, there is also a bit of a bleak appearance.

Ye Xingyuan and Tang Shiyan rode a thin horse side by side, only to see that the twilight was heavy in front of them, and it was dusk again. It has been more than six days since the two of them came out of the provincial capital of Jiangzhou as official envoys to comfort and dissuade the displaced people.

Tang Shiyan was panting, and the two trembled. He was not used to riding horses, he had already worn out his skin, and he grinned in pain, but he couldn't help but complain about why Ye Xingyuan took him.

"According to Master Jin's news, the displaced people were temporarily stationed in the area of Peacock Gorge and did not go any further. However, within a few days, they will run out of food, and they will definitely continue to move on. Tang Shiyan wiped the sweat from his forehead and reported to Ye Xingyuan.

Peacock Gorge is located in the southwest of Dinghu Province, is the only way to communicate Dinghu and Jingchu, Shuzhong, the mountain road is difficult to walk, there are many people in Jingchu, and there are many old and weak women and children, want to pass through this place, how to have to work hard for a few days.

Ye Xingyuan sighed: "The newspaper said that there are seventy or eighty thousand displaced people this time, hungry and pitiful, and they don't know how to live. ”

If there is food, these displaced people will not have to leave their homes and come to Dinghu Province, where they are not familiar with the place. The previous prefecture and county gave some rice grain, but it was a drop in the bucket, where was there enough for them to eat. Although there are wild fruits, animals, and the like, it is impossible to solve the problem of feeding these 70,000 or 80,000 people, and they are afraid that the bark and grass roots will not be spared.

Thinking about the situation of the displaced people, Tang Shiyan shuddered and said with a wry smile: "I saw that the book said that people are hungry and ruthless, and they are only afraid of the miserable situation of eating with a child. ”

As they went, they saw more and more refugees lying on the side of the road, and they didn't know whether they were dead or alive, but at least some of them could never stand up. The closer you get to Jinghu Province, the worse the situation becomes.

These are scattered refugees fleeing famine. The outcasts who were carrying 70,000 or 80,000 people did not know what the situation would be. Tang Shiyan was scared when he thought about it, and said in his heart that the two of them would not send it to the door to add a side dish to someone, right?

Tang Shiyan wiped the nonsense from his mind. Cautiously looked at Ye Xingyuan on horseback. Ye Xingyuan was dressed in a green shirt, his back was down, looking at the undulating mountains in the sky from afar, and when he heard Tang Shiyan's words, he also sighed deeply.

"This time there are seventy or eighty thousand displaced people. If you can save them from turning, it is also a merit, and their life and death cannot be said to be in the two of us, and the predecessors must do their best. Ye Xingyuan's tone didn't fluctuate, and he explained again.

He had to remind himself along the way, lest he accidentally step into the trap of destiny. Before leaving the provincial capital, he had already thought of a comprehensive plan, and if it could be implemented smoothly, he could at least ensure that this group of displaced people could eat this year. Other. Ye Xingyuan tried not to think about it.

Ye Xingyuan left three tips from Master Pan, and volunteered to appease the displaced people, so that they could temporarily stop and wait for the imperial court to help, but they took Tang Shiyan with him.

"Old Tang is old and has narrow shoulders, so I'm afraid I can't bear this burden. Tang Shiyan simply played a scoundrel, "I know that I cheated you this time, but I still don't have a clue what to do about this homeless thing, I have to give a charter first." ”

Ye Xingyuan brought Tang Shiyan with him, of course, he also had his own plans. He still has to keep a low profile. Even though he had to show his face in front of Pan Fantai, he still needed Tang Shiyan as a shield at other times.

"The charter is just talking about people and talking nonsense. Ye Xingyuan knew that his method would cure the symptoms but not the root cause, as long as he could not finally solve this group of displaced people. There will inevitably be changes in the future, but with my own ability, I can only go so far.

Ye Xingyuan told again: "You have to remember, this time I went to see the leader of the displaced people, you are the main envoy, and I am the deputy envoy." Just your assistant. ”

Tang Shiyan is more than twice as old as him, and if he is a deputy envoy, he will be a little unreasonable after all. It is better to consult with these homeless people who have little knowledge, and not to give them too many doubts.

"But according to the orders of the virtuous brother. Tang Shiyan hung his head down, he is now hob meat, in the spirit of a dead pig not afraid of boiling water, he obeyed Ye Xingyuan's words. The two turned their horses' heads, looked for a roadside post station to rest, asked the path, and knew that there was only a half-day trip to Peacock Gorge.

The people of the village here are panicked and worried that the displaced people will come to cause trouble. Although I had never heard of this kind of news along the way, who knows what will happen when people are hungry.

This side of Peacock Gorge is a relatively plain area, and the harvest is better than other places. Although it was a spring famine at this time, the peasants still had some savings in their hands, and this year's seeds and the like had just been prepared.

Ye Xingyuan was silent, he was also a common man, but whenever he had a little food in his hand, he regarded his own kind as a great enemy. It's about an irreversible habit, and it's not about compassion, it's true that the world is too difficult.

There was nothing to say for a night, and early in the morning of the second day, Ye Xingyuan and Tang Shiyan rushed to Peacock Gorge early. After only half a day's work, I saw that the terrain gradually became steeper, and the peaks on both sides became much steeper, which was very different from before.

Looking further, I saw two mountain ranges stretching endlessly, with a line of dry water in between, which is where the Peacock Gorge is located. Looking from afar, you can see the crowds in the distance, the smoke curling, it should be burying the pot to make food, but I don't know what these homeless people can eat.

Tang Shiyan was very worried, and looked at Ye Xingyuan as if asking for help, seeing that he looked calm, and knew that he had come here, and there was no possibility of turning back, so he could only ride forward.

"What person?" As soon as the two of them ran to the mouth of the gorge, they saw several skinny men rushing up, although their faces were yellow and thin, their eyes were quite fierce and vigilant.

It was still almost two miles away from the center where the displaced people were camped, so someone intercepted it, so it can be seen that there must have been a sentry scout before that, and the news had already been reported.

Ye Xingyuan was secretly frightened by this conclusion, and as expected, this very well shows that the displaced people have begun to have a semi-militarized organization. Organized people and unorganized people, those are definitely two different creatures, I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing.

If you think about it, you can know that seventy or eighty thousand displaced people can be gathered to travel through the state and province, and there is a certain amount of organizational power, which also means that the leader of the displaced people is likely to be a powerful figure.

The organization of the displaced people is a double-edged sword. For local officials, if the displaced people have to cross the border, they naturally hope that there will be some order, so as not to scatter and disturb people's livelihood.

But if the organization is too good, and there are core people or groups, then there is a huge hidden danger. They may rise up at any time, seize counties and cities, loot large households, and become rogues.

This is the reason why Ye Xingyuan is outside the three tricks, and he insists that he must meet the leader of the homeless people and persuade this person first. The current Jingchu refugees belong to the category of "too good organization".

Ye Xingyuan settled down, grabbed the reins, and said solemnly: "We are the envoys sent by the feudal platform, and we are here to solve the affairs of the Jingchu exiles, who can you be the master, take us to see him!"

Now he and Tang Shiyan have no official status, but after all, they are dignified scholars, and they have poetry and books in their stomachs, and these words are awe-inspiring.

"Which is bigger, the domain or the county magistrate?" The men who blocked the way were a little ignorant, and the rank of the political envoy was too high, and these villagers could not reach it under normal circumstances.

At most, they know that the prefect of the county is an adult, and they know from the drama that the governor has the king's order banner Shangfang sword, which can be cut first and then played, what kind of official is this domain?

Talking to them needs to be more direct, Ye Xingyuan patted his head, thinking that he had forgotten about this stubble, and hurriedly added: "Lord Fantai is a second-grade member, and the county only has seven-grade soldiers!"

In this Dinghu Province, the lord of the clan is above ten thousand under one person, and he is in charge of the civil affairs of the province, and if you want to live, you have to rely on the gift of the lord of the clan!

He directly put out the grade, and even omitted the subordinate characters from the second grade. On the other side, I heard that the domain was a second grade, and the second grade was much larger than the seventh grade. The men who blocked the way were in awe, and hurriedly dispersed to salute, and had already run back with a spirit, thinking that they were reporting to the leader.

Tang Shiyan was distressed, lowered his head and whispered to Ye Xingyuan: "Brother Xian, talking to mud legs like this, Old Tang, I won't be able to talk to the leader of the homeless people for a while, but I want you to help more!"

He is elegant and talented, and he is embarrassed to greet people without allusions, and he can't do it if he wants him to give Ye Xingyuan a few products with his fingers and a county magistrate.

Ye Xingyuan smiled and said, "It's okay, you just have to take care of the four and six, and I will annotate it for you." But I see that this leader of the exiles has hills and ravines in his chest, even if he has never studied, I am afraid that he is not an idle person!"

As I got closer, I could see that the homeless people camped in a very orderly manner, and they were listed one after another. The young and strong are located on the periphery, the old and weak women and children are in the middle, and they are like a long snake along the stream, although there are many people, but they can still be in order. This leader has either learned the art of war or is a natural genius!

After a while, the person who had just run to report came back and gasped: "Well, why don't you report the two scholars, who are their surnames?

Miss? Ye Xingyuan was stunned, could it be that the leader of this homeless camp, the person he thought was powerful, was actually a young woman? This was the first unexpected thing.

However, Ye Xingyuan still replied honestly: "Both of us have a reputation for showing talents. This one is Tang Shiyan, a talented son of Hanjiang Mansion, whose literary name has been spread all over the world, I don't know if you have heard of it? (To be continued.) )